Self-selection of Asylum Seekers: Evidence From Germany

Abstract

I examine the pattern of selection on education of asylum seekers recently arrived in Germany from five key source countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Iraq, Serbia, and Syria. The analysis relies on original individual-level data collected in Germany combined with surveys conducted at origin. The results reveal a positive pattern of selection on education for asylum seekers who were able to flee Iraq and Syria, and the selection is neutral for individuals seeking asylum from Afghanistan and negative for asylum seekers from Albania and Serbia. I provide an interpretation of these patterns based on differences in the expected length of stay at destination, the migration costs faced by asylum seekers to reach Germany, and the size of migration networks at destination.

Labor market situation of refugees in Europe: The role of individual and contextual factors

“…educational level of refugees settling in Europe is significantly higher than the average level of education of the resident population in refugees' countries of origin (Spörlein and Kristen, 2019;Guichard, 2020;Spörlein et al, 2020;Aksoy and Poutvaara, 2021), indicating refugees' educational selectivity. Still, recognition of credentials poses a serious challenge to highly educated refugees (Riemsdijk and Axelsson, 2021; see also Credential recognition), particularly in regulated professions such as medical doctors or teachers (Smyth and Kum, 2010;Jacobsen, 2021).…”

Has there been a “refugee crisis”? New insights on the recent refugee arrivals in Germany and their integration prospects

“…These circumstances affect the level of selectivity of refugees and their economic success in a host country (Borjas 1987;Chiswick 1999). Whether refugees are positively or negatively selected depends necessarily on factors such as the personal and economic risks in home and transit countries, the costs and risks of fleeing, and the nature of human capital resources (e.g., Aksoy/Poutvaara 2019;Guichard 2020;Spörlein et al, this volume). Using the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Refugee Sample, Guichard (2020) demonstrates that recently arrived refugees from Iraq and Syria are positively selected with respect to their education, while refugees from Albania and Serbia are negatively selected.…”

“…Whether refugees are positively or negatively selected depends necessarily on factors such as the personal and economic risks in home and transit countries, the costs and risks of fleeing, and the nature of human capital resources (e.g., Aksoy/Poutvaara 2019;Guichard 2020;Spörlein et al, this volume). Using the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Refugee Sample, Guichard (2020) demonstrates that recently arrived refugees from Iraq and Syria are positively selected with respect to their education, while refugees from Albania and Serbia are negatively selected. Our analyses aim at complementing these findings by showing that across all refugee source countries, members of ethnic minorities or religious groups that face severe persecution and oppression are overrepresented in the recently arrived refugees to Germany.…”

Refugees’ and Irregular Migrants’ Self-selection into Europe

“…McKenzie and Rapoport (2010) and Guichard (2020) have shown the critical role of migration networks in explaining the self -selection of migrants in terms of education. Therefore, a potential threat to our main findings arises if more educated migrants also have existing networks abroad.…”

“…Brücker et al (2016) show that recently arrived refugees in Germany have a relatively low level of education compared with the German population. Guichard (2020) analyzes asylum applicants who arrived in Germany from Afghanistan, Albania, Iraq, Serbia, and Syria. He finds that those from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria are more likely to have tertiary education than non-migrants, while those from Albania and Serbia are less likely to have tertiary education than non -migrants.…”